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PRESS CONFERENCE – HOFSTRA | PRESS CONFERENCE – N.C. A&T
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sophomore guard Cruz Davis scored 18 first-half points to help 11th-seeded Hofstra build a 20-point advantage at the break and roll past No. 14 North Carolina A&T, 77-55, in the first round of the Jersey Mike’s CAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Friday evening at CareFirst Arena.
The Pride (15-17) advances to play No. 6 Monmouth in second-round action at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. North Carolina A&T ended its season with a 7-25 mark.
Davis finished with 19 points and eight assists while Hofstra guard German Plotnikov drained 7-of-11 from three-point range and recorded his first double-double with career highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds. North Carolina A&T was led by Jahnathan Lamothe with 21 points and Efstratios Kalliontzis with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Davis scored Hofstra’s first eight points as it sprinted out to a 12-2 lead. After missing nine of its first 10 shots from the floor, A&T went on an 11-5 spurt capped by a Jalal McKie three to close within 17-13 with 6:38 to go in the half. However, back-to-back treys from Plotnikov started a 13-2 Hofstra run that extended the margin back to 15. Davis closed the half with seven straight points to put the Pride up 39-19 at intermission.
Plotnikov opened the second half with the first of his four treys in the period and Hofstra never let the Aggies get closer than 20 over the final 20 minutes.
Hofstra made its most three-pointers this season against a Division I opponent, knocking down 15-of-36 (41.7%) of its shots from beyond the arc. The Pride defense limited A&T to 31.4% field goal shooting, including 5-of-22 from three.